Chorizanthe

Chorizanthe is a genus of plants in the buckwheat family known generally as spineflowers. These are small, squat, herbaceous plants with spiny-looking inflorescences of flowers. The flowers may be in shades of red or yellow to white. The bracts are pointed and sometimes tipped with a hooked awn, and the inflorescence often dries into a rounded, spiny husk. Spineflowers are found in western North America and South America. Name derivation: The word Chorizanthe comes from the Greek roots chorizo and anthos meaning "to divide," and "flower," thus meaning "divided flowers," but actually used in reference to the divided calyx. Selected species: Chorizanthe angustifolia - narrowleaf spineflower Chorizanthe aphanantha Chorizanthe biloba - twolobe spineflower Chorizanthe blakleyi - Blakley's spineflower Chorizanthe brevicornu - brittle spineflower Chorizanthe breweri - San Luis Obispo spineflower Chorizanthe corrugata - wrinkled spineflower Chorizanthe cuspidata - San Francisco spineflower Chorizanthe diffusa - diffuse spineflower Chorizanthe douglasii - San Benito spineflower Chorizanthe fimbriata - fringed spineflower Chorizanthe howellii - Mendocino spineflower Chorizanthe leptotheca - Ramona spineflower Chorizanthe membranacea - pink spineflower Chorizanthe obovata - spoonsepal spineflower Chorizanthe orcuttiana - San Diego spineflower Chorizanthe palmeri - Palmer's spineflower Chorizanthe parryi - San Bernardino spineflower Chorizanthe polygonoides - knotweed spineflower Chorizanthe procumbens - prostrate spineflower Chorizanthe pungens - Monterey spineflower Chorizanthe rectispina - prickly spineflower Chorizanthe rigida - devil's spineflower, rigid spineflower Chorizanthe robusta - robust spineflower Chorizanthe spinosa - Mojave spineflower Chorizanthe staticoides - Turkish rugging Chorizanthe stellulata - starlet spineflower Chorizanthe uniaristata - one-awned spineflower Chorizanthe valida - Sonoma spineflower Chorizanthe ventricosa - Priest Valley spineflower Chorizanthe watsonii - fivetooth spineflower Chorizanthe wheeleri - Santa Barbara spineflower Chorizanthe xanti - Riverside spineflower